Free Texas Two Step: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1 by Cynthia D’Alba Page A

he drew her breath into his mouth. Her breath was his breath of life. He needed her. He knew that.
    Her beer-flavored kiss made him long for privacy and a soft bed. The shiver of her body assured him she’d been as affected as he by this simple kiss.
    The song came to an end. He held her long after the final notes faded. Everything about being with Olivia again fit like puzzle pieces. What had been fragments of a picture was now a fully formed vision of what they could have together. She filled a hole inside him he hadn’t been aware existed until this weekend.
    “Olivia?” The bride’s voice jarred him out of his thoughts.
    Olivia startled. Her head snapped toward the voice. “Emily. What’s wrong?”
    Emily smiled. “Nothing. I wondered if I could talk to you for a minute.”
    As Olivia stepped from his arms, a rush of cold air filled the space where she’d been. His arms dropped to his side, empty and aching to be around her again.
    “Sure.” Olivia glanced at Mitch. “Thanks for the dance. In case I don’t get a chance to talk to you later, it was good to see you this weekend.” She gave him a quick kiss.
    Mitch retrieved his beer and watched as the two women linked arms and walked out of the reception. He tipped the bottle to his mouth. If she thought she could escape so easily, she didn’t know him at all.
     
    “The wedding was beautiful, Emily.”
    Emily looked over at Olivia. “This is the happiest day of my life. It’d have been impossible to pull off this wedding without all your help.”
    Olivia lifted one silk-covered shoulder in a shrug. “You’re my best friend. You know I’d have done anything to make this day special.” She placed her hands on Emily’s shoulders. “I’ve never seen Wes so happy. The look on his face when you walked down the aisle was the look of a man in love. He had the biggest grin. I know you guys will be happy.”
    Emily turned and hugged her. “Thank you again. When I asked you to be my maid of honor, well, I knew I was asking a lot. I worried that being around Mitch might open up old wounds. It wasn’t fair to you. I know that. But I couldn’t get married without you. Was it just awful?” Emily’s face wrinkled into a mask of concern. “Are you okay?”
    “I’m fine.” When her answer didn’t erase the worry from Emily’s face, Olivia added, “It wasn’t as much of a problem as I’d feared. Don’t worry so much about me. This is your day. When are you and Wes making your grand exit?”
    “Now. Before we left, I needed to thank you one more time for all you did to help.”
    Olivia placed a light kiss on Emily’s cheek, cautious to not leave lipstick. “You’ve said it, now go. Enjoy Hawaii.”
    With a final wave, Emily hurried to her new husband, leaving Olivia alone and more than a little melancholy. As happy as she was for Emily and Wes, the green-eyed monster tore at her insides.
    Emily and Wes faced the thrill of starting a new life together, the comfort in finding a soul mate, the promise of love and honor until death, the confidence this person—this life mate—would always be there for you, come whatever.
    Olivia wanted all that too. The love and honor. The wonderful confidence of a husband’s love. The lifetime commitment.
    Because of her choices, her decisions, Olivia didn’t know if she’d ever have that kind of security in a relationship. But Adam was worth any price. She could never regret her decision.
    “You should be ashamed of yourself.” The familiar deep southern voice whispered in her ear.
    She couldn’t stop her lips from twisting into a smile. Her pulse beat bass drums in her ears. “Why’s that?”
    “You outshone the bride today.”
    Olivia chuckled. “I don’t think so, but…”
    She turned toward Mitch and mentally sighed at the sight. Tall. Tan. Muscles hard as bricks. A small scar on his chin. Masculine sexuality oozing from every pore. He was too handsome and he knew it.
    “Thank you for the